


This House Could Be A Home

by Fullmoonstar00



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Regulus Black, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, Fanfiction, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hogwarts, Jegulus, M/M, Magic, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Multi, Mutual Pining, Pining, Regulus Black Lives, Regulus Black-centric, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter Friendship, Remus Lupin Lives, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black Lives, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fullmoonstar00/pseuds/Fullmoonstar00
Summary: Sirius Black has been living with the Potter’s for nearly 2 years and is constantly filled with guilt and regret about leaving Regulus behind. In the summer before the Marauder’s sixth year, Regulus turns up at the house with nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to.  Can they forgive each other? Can they both let their guard down enough to be loved? Can the Black brothers move on from their past?
Relationships: Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 73
Kudos: 198





	1. The Far Nobler House of Potter

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired to write this by a fic I read that thoroughly disappointed me, I hope I don’t do the same for you! Let me know what you think x
> 
> All of the characters were created by JK Rowling and they exist in the Wizarding World she created. That being said I have created the story itself. 
> 
> Though I can’t be certain yet I would imagine some inspiration will be taken from MissKingBean89’s incredible fic All The Young Dudes so please go and read that too!

Sirius Black had been living with the Potters for nearly two years. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter had taken him in and loved him as though he was their own. James Potter had thought of Sirius as a brother since their first year at Hogwarts so he didn’t really see any problem with having him around at home too. That was the Potter way, always taking in strays and fixing broken people. Sirius had truly been broken when he’d moved in with them, his whole life he’d been beaten into submission by his parents and when he finally decided enough was enough, he knew he had nowhere to go but to James.

The house wasn’t as big as Grimmauld Place but to Sirius it was perfect. Every room was filled with sunlight, music, clutter, books, posters, photographs, furniture to mess about on, everything a child like Sirius could want but had never had. Everyday of his first month in the Potter’s home Sirius had jumped out of bed at the break of daylight and gone into every possible room and opened the curtains. He loved the way the light flooded into the room and coated everything in a blanket of gold. None of the Potter’s ever mentioned this strange activity, nor did they seem bothered by it, he wondered if maybe they just assumed the house elf was doing it. Sirius only stopped his morning activity when he was properly settled in and used to the feeling of warmth in a house. He had learned that he didn’t need to rush to fill a room with light because he knew that it would be there eventually, something he’d never known before.

His childhood in the Noble House of Black had not allowed him the privilege of expecting happiness and light. His life had been filled with darkness, the walls of his childhood painted black, the curtains drawn, the rooms bare. He tried not to dwell on his childhood and on what he’d had to endure but he couldn’t help it. He could push everything he’d known from his mind but one thing always kept him connected to it... Regulus. 

A year younger than Sirius, Regulus Arcturus Black, currently 15 years old, was still trapped in that house. Sirius’s heart ached when he thought of Reggie and how he’d had to leave him behind. Regulus was a Slytherin, he was afraid of their parents to the extent that he would do anything they said but he was clever. This had been all the reassurance Sirius needed the night he’d left Grimmauld Place for good. He knew Regulus would be crushed, what little happiness they had in their childhoods had been created by each other, but he had to go and he couldn’t take him the younger boy with him. When Sirius returned to Hogwarts for the first time since leaving home he’d hoped to speak with Regulus and make sure he was okay, but Regulus had ignored him completely. He walked past Sirius as though he wasn’t there. It crushed Sirius but he knew he was to blame for it, he just hoped that one day Regulus would forgive him.

“Get up you lazy git” James Potter was thumping Sirius repeatedly with his pillow, trying to wake him from his favourite activity, sleeping.

“Go away Potter!” Sirius groaned, shielding his face from James’s attack with his arms.

“It’s nearly midday, come on I want to play quidditch. It’s summer, the sun is shining, the air is fresh and the world is happy and awake and you should be too!” James cooed at Sirius, poking him violently. Sirius still didn’t move. James knew what he had to say.

“Mums making french toast...” James said very sweetly. Sirius leapt out of the bed, knocking James over as he ran out of the room and down the stairs barefoot and in his pyjamas.

He swung through the kitchen door, bursting with excitement but found it empty. His face dropped. He marched straight back out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom. When he re-entered James was clutching at his sides from laughing so hard. Sirius dove at him and the two boys wrestled on the floor before Sirius managed to pin James down.

“You bastard! Never lie about french toast again!” He shouted in James’s face. 

“I did what I had to do!” James shouted back, very dramatically before shoving Sirius off of him. The two boys laughed at each other and Sirius offered James a hand, pulling him to his feet with him.

“Well seeing as you’re awake now, get dressed! Let’s go flying.” James patted Sirius on the back and left to go assemble the makeshift quidditch pitch.

Sirius chuckled to himself when he thought about his friend’s sneaky tricks. He moved around the room, collecting random pieces of clothing off the floor and shoving them on haphazardly. He pulled his hair up and into a messy bun so it wouldn’t dangle in his eyes whilst he flew, he knew only too well the dangers of playing quidditch with your hair down and had the scars to prove it. 

As he swept his quidditch jersey off the dresser he knocked a wooden box to the floor. It’s contents spilled out. Sirius swept up the bits and pieces, not realising or remembering what it was. As he went to place the bits back into the box he saw a Polaroid sitting in the bottom of it. He pulled it out and felt his chest tighten as he realised what this was. It was all he’d brought with him from the old house, all he’d been able to carry, in that terrifying moment these had been the only important things to him. He stared down at the collection, none of it had been touched in years and he didn’t care about any of it much anyway, but he couldn’t let go of the Polaroid. It was a photo of him and Regulus.

In the photo Sirius had his arm around Regulus’s shoulders and was hugging him tightly to his side. The other boy had all the same features as Sirius, the high cheekbones, dark hair and piercing eyes. Both boys were smiling widely and as the photo started to move they were laughing too, as Sirius poked a finger in his younger brothers ear causing him to try and pull away. Sirius could remember that day, they’d gone to Andromeda’s house, unbeknownst to their parents who believed they were buying school books from Diagon Alley, and they had a lovely summery day with her. Sirius could never show this photo to his parents, they would not approve of anything about it, being with Andromeda, fooling around publicly, smiling. It was all very improper and that is exactly why Sirius had loved it so much and brought it with him. He felt a stab of guilt for forgetting about it over the past few years and resigned to tucking it into the corner of his mirror, so he could see it whenever he wanted and be reminded of that wonderfully happy day.

Sirius ran downstairs, filled with a new sense of nostalgic happiness and prepared for flying with James. He was just finishing up polishing his broom when they heard a knock at the front door. Sirius ignored this, knowing that he could answer it as this was his home but leaving James to do it anyway. James disappeared off into the house to see who it was, his perpetually messy hair bouncing with every step he took.   


Sirius finished with his broom and tilted his head back, soaking in the hot, summer sun and felt incredibly lucky. His whole body buzzed with excitement and contentment and he was truly happy. He had never felt more grateful in his life. He was ready to mount his broom and do some practice laps when he heard James calling him from within the house. Though he couldn’t see him, Sirius knew something was wrong, James’s tone was panicked. He threw his newly polished broom to the floor and ran through the house to find James.

James was standing in front of the open door. The usually confident boy opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, as though trying to find the right words but completely failing.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Sirius puffed frantically.

James looked straight at Sirius, his own eyes filled with surprise and stepped to the side revealing a boy stood outside the door. The boy moved his long, black hair out of his face and raised his eyes to meet Sirius’s. Sirius’s heart stopped for a moment.

“Reggie?” 


	2. I Shouldn't Have Come Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Minor injury // Hinted abuse

The Black brothers stood in complete silence for, what felt to James like, a lifetime. The brothers stared at each other, unmoving. Sirius couldn’t bring himself to move through fear that he’d scare Regulus away. He looked over every inch of his brother. He’d seen him in passing at Hogwarts over the past few years but had never been close enough to see how awful he looked now. When Sirius had been forced to leave his house, Regulus was thirteen and looked exactly as you’d expect a boy his age to look. He was tall and had the Black family bone structure, perfect complexion, dark hair slicked back, and he was an excellent quidditch player, which made him fairly strong. Sirius barely recognised that boy anymore, this person in front of him was stick thin, their skin was ghostly pale, and their hair was a mess. Sirius heart broke at the knowledge that he’d had any part in the destruction of the boy Regulus had once been. For years it had broken Sirius’s heart to leave his brother, but he had never truly considered how it would break Regulus’s heart to be left behind. He had assumed from Regulus’s cold and cruel demeanour at school that he had simply written off Sirius, the way the rest of the family had, he had forced himself to believe that Regulus’s life was better without him in it. Now, seeing his baby brother standing before him, looking as broken as he himself must have looked when he arrived at the Potter’s doorstep years ago, he realised how wrong he was.

Sirius could feel the nervous energy radiating off of James, who was stood beside him bouncing on his heels. Eventually, when he couldn’t take the silence anymore, James spoke.

“I’ll go make some tea” James nudged Sirius in the direction of the door as he moved past him and into a different room. Sirius smiled slightly; James always knew what needed to be done. Sirius stepped towards his brother and opened his mouth to speak. He was quickly cut off by Regulus.

“I shouldn’t have come here!” Regulus’s voice was cold. He spat the words, but seemed angrier at himself than anything else. He turned on his heels and began to walk down the driveway of the Potter house. Sirius ran forward and grabbed the boy’s wrist to stop him. He was full of adrenaline and panic; he didn’t realise how harshly he had taken the boy’s arm. Regulus whipped around, his eyes wide and filled with sheer terror, and tore his hand from Sirius’s grasp. Sirius’s stomach dropped as he looked at his brother again, his head was down again, his hair covering his face, he looked so small, so fragile.

“Reggie I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? What’s wrong with your…” Sirius stopped. He inhaled sharply. “Did they do this?” Sirius’s voice trembled as he asked. Regulus stared down at his wrist, clasping it with his other hand. He tentatively rolled it and when he was satisfied there was no new damage he looked back up at Sirius.

“I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t know where else to go.” His voice was filled with fear as he spoke the words, staring intently at Sirius. Knowing better than to continue pushing Regulus or ask what had happened, Sirius just gestured to the house and suggested they go inside. Sirius walked next to Regulus as they went back into the house. Regulus hesitated as he went to step over the threshold, knowing once he did, he would never be able to take it back. Sirius bumped into his shoulder, encouraging him to take the step. Regulus stood still for a moment longer, just staring at the line between the stone of the patio and the wood of the entrance hall. He steadied his heartbeat, took a deep breath… and stepped into the house.

He was hit with a wave of warmth that coated him from head to toe, he could smell flowers and the scent of home cooking, which he only recognised from passing the kitchens in Hogwarts. He would come to learn that these sensations were produced by a charm that Mrs Potter had placed on the house, something to ensure that every person that entered felt comfort and warmth. Regulus had been taught many ‘valuable’ lessons in life but ensuring the genuine happiness of your guests was not one of them. He felt out of place as he stared around at the Potter’s home, filled with odd items, the walls were covered in bright wallpaper and had family photographs pinned to them. Not terrifying, hand-painted family portraits but moving photographs of children laughing, wedding days, smiling families. Regulus forced himself not to look at them as he followed Sirius through the house. He had no strong feelings about the house itself apart from the fact is was entirely opposite to his own house. The rooms were filled with light and were cluttered with furniture and various items, nothing like the dark, bare rooms he’d grown up with. He thought he could even hear music coming from somewhere above him, he shook his head knowing he could never fit in, in a place like this.

As Regulus entered the kitchen, a few minutes after Sirius, he was met with an unusual sight. Sirius had his arm around James's shoulder, they were talking quietly to each other. When he saw Regulus walk in James extended a cup to him and smiled widely. Regulus accepted the cup, thanking James quietly but refusing to look at his ridiculous smile. The kitchen was a very large room, the sink stood beneath a window that looked out onto the magnificent garden, all of the cupboards were painted white with golden handles and every counter was covered in utensils, plates, ingredients, cookbooks and mugs. Regulus realised in that moment that he’d never even been in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place, though he was fairly sure no member of the Black Family ever had. He was confident that if he did know what it looked like; it would look nothing like this one. This room was busy and untidy, but anyone would be able to realise that this is exactly how it should be. Thinking too hard about the contrast between the Potter’s home and his house made Regulus feel incredibly nauseous.

“Do you mind if I take a seat?” Regulus spoke barely above a whisper, looking at James.

“Oh of course, sorry. Let me just move this stuff!” James ran over and began moving the clothes, books, and ingredients that the table was littered with. He pulled a chair out and swept his hand over the cushion. He looked at Regulus and smiled again, motioning for him to sit down. James then darted to the other side of the table and sat next to Sirius. The three boys sat looking at each other in an uncomfortable silence for a while longer. None of them knew what to say. Sirius and James started to sip their tea nervously, as their eyes darted between themselves and Regulus, waiting for something to happen or someone to say something. Regulus reached forward to pick up his mug and winced slightly as he felt a shooting pain in his wrist. He put the mug down again quickly, knowing his hand would shake too much if he tried to take a drink and knowing he had never been good at hiding his pain, much to the dismay of his parents.

“Reggie! Show me your wrist please.” Sirius’s voice was firm as he noticed what the boy had done. Regulus had always been good at following instructions, with the added factor that he knew Sirius wouldn’t let it go unless he showed him. He sighed loudly, then extended his arm over the table, towards Sirius, and pulled up his sleeve. He refused to look at either of the boys as they inspected his thin, pale bones. He heard one of them gasp slightly, not sure whether it was James or Sirius.

“Reg this is broken!” The boy touched his wrist tenderly, forcing Regulus to look at him. It wasn’t Sirius, as he assumed it had been, it was James. He looked straight at Regulus; his eyes filled with worry as he continued to touch the wrist ever so gently. Regulus pulled his arm back quickly, clutching it to his chest and feeling self-conscious. Sirius just stared at him with his mouth open, his eyes filled with anger and hurt. Regulus knew that Sirius was blaming himself, though they both knew it hadn’t been Sirius who had broken it.

“It’s Regulus not Reg. I broke it a few years ago; it has not healed properly yet.” He spoke directly to James in a cold tone before turning to Sirius. “It’s not your fault Sirius. Stop blaming yourself” His words were comforting but his tone was angry. He didn’t want to have to comfort Sirius about this, he didn’t want to have to explain what had really happened, he had lived with it for nearly two years and it wasn’t fair that he was the one having to pretend it was all okay just to keep Sirius from falling apart.

Regulus could feel his anger mounting intensely and was starting to find the idea of diving across the table and hitting Sirius very appealing. He would never do that. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he’d been taught to keep his emotions completely locked in and a display like that would give away far too much. So, he sat silently and watched the cogs turn in James and Sirius’s minds as they tried to work out what to do, it was almost comical how hard they were thinking. Luckily their suffering was ended by the crack of apparition outside the house. James practically ran to the door leaving Sirius and Regulus at the kitchen table. Sirius was still staring at Regulus’s wrist, realising now how gingerly the boy moved it and kicking himself for once imagining that Regulus would be unbroken and uninjured in that godforsaken house. The door to the kitchen swung open and Regulus jumped to his feet, suddenly feeling very guilty for showing up unannounced to someone else’s home.

“Regulus Black!” Euphemia Potter cooed. “It is so lovely to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you” She smiled happily at the boy as he extended his hand out for her to shake. It was unfortunately his injured one, but Regulus believed it would be unspeakably rude to offer the wrong hand to shake just to stop himself from feeling pain for a moment. Before James could interject, she was shaking the hand very gently, her palm was warm as it pressed against Regulus’s cold hand.

Euphemia Potter hugged everyone she ever met, she loved physical affection and would hug anyone who was willing. When she had entered the room and seen Regulus, looking so much like Sirius had when he’d arrived at their house seeking refuge, she remembered how he had flinched away from her touch and knew that she needed a more gentle approach with the boy. So, she shook his hand as gently as she could, vowing to herself that she would be gentle with this boy and as she looked into his sad, grey eyes she knew he’d never been treated gently before.

“I was wondering, if its not an inconvenience, if I could please have a word with you Mrs Potter.” Regulus could barely bring himself to look at the kind-faced woman as he spoke.

Without another word she turned and shooed the two other boys out of the room and took a seat next to where Regulus stood, she patted the seat of the chair he’d been sat on and he took the invitation to sit back down. He took a few deep breaths, fiddling with his sleeve before mentally reprimanding himself for being so childish. He looked up at her and felt her caring, kind, love-filled eyes melting his cold exterior. His lip began to tremble, and he felt as though he were falling apart. Without speaking, Euphemia reached out and very slowly placed her hand on top of Regulus’s own, uninjured hand, making sure he saw her approaching and knew she was going to touch him. His eyes filled with tears as he stared at the woman, her face was sympathetic and worried, and her eyes gleaming with tears too. The sight of this boy, so distressed but so closed off, upset her maternal heart so deeply that Regulus began to feel even guiltier. He blinked back his tears quickly and cleared his throat to speak, breathing deeply.

“I am unimaginably sorry to have shown up without warning like this, it is deeply embarrassing of me to have been so rude and presumptuous, and I will likely never forgive myself. I was wondering, if it’s not too much trouble, if I might be able to stay here until we return to Hogwarts in two months’ time. I don’t even need a bed, I can pay for food, you won’t even know I’m here." He paused. "I just can’t go back home. I’ll work out what to do about Christmas and next summer when I’m back at Hogwarts. I can pay you, I’ll visit Gringotts and get money to pay you” Regulus spoke frantically, tears flowing freely down his face, though he didn’t seem to notice. He couldn’t look at Mrs Potter anymore and as he spoke, he realised the gravity of what he was asking of her. Just because she’d done it for Sirius did not entitle him to the same treatment and kindness. He felt utterly stupid and worthless and wished he could take the words back. Euphemia let out a large sigh and chuckled slightly. Regulus stared at her with an expression of complete shock, he’d anticipated rejection but did not expect her to laugh in his face.

“Oh, my dear boy don’t be so silly! This house has more rooms than we could ever need, and I’ll have one set up instantly so you can get settled.” She squeezed his hand tightly in hers as he continued to stare at her in shock. “Honestly, I thought you were coming to try and steal Sirius from me. You had me so worried.” She smiled to herself. “Now, I’ll speak to Fleamont tonight and send word to Dumbledore that you’re here and then in two months’ time if you decide you like living with us, we will work out a way for you to stay here permanently. You will pay us nothing, I would never accept it. Sirius has mentioned how you love to read and if this is still true then you are more than welcome to use the library whenever you like but please take care of the books, most of them are even older than me, if you can believe it.” She chuckled again, smiling brightly at the boy. Regulus was in such a state of shock that he barely noticed that he was now clasping Mrs Potter’s hand tightly.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know what to say.” He said shyly, staring at their clasped hands.

“I have only two conditions for you, if you're going to live here” She spoke softly. Regulus’s heart sank slightly, there had to be a catch to this arrangement. He looked into her eyes again and nodded slightly.

“Firstly, you must let me fix your wrist." He furrowed his brow slightly and opened his mouth to speak but she continued before he could ask the question. "I work at St Mungo's, I can tell a broken bone from a mile off and I can also tell when someone is in a lot of pain, no matter how much they try to conceal it. My second condition is that you must promise me that you will ask for help when you need it.” She smiled at him again. “I have lived with Sirius for a long time now, but I remember the state he was in when he first arrived, it breaks my heart. I am so happy to have you here Regulus and I want you to promise me that you know that Fleamont, James and I are here for you, no matter what, all you need do is ask.”

Regulus squeezed her hand gently.

“I promise”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I have an assessment due this week so it’s gonna be a couple more days before the next chapter but trust me it’s an important one!! More cute James content x


	3. The Nature of a Potter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Child abuse (explanation of the wrist incident mentioned in chapter 2) and descriptions of a panic attack. It's quite a dark chapter, be kind to yourself. Slightly shorter chapter but includes important plot points. 
> 
> (Anything written in italics is a dream/memory)

Regulus stared out of the window of his new bedroom, watching clouds drift past the moon. He curled up on the window seat, his chin resting on his knees, pressing his forehead against the cool glass. The room was smaller than his old room but still large by any standard, it had all of the same furniture the other room had but these pieces were made from sand coloured wood and not painted black and sickeningly polished like his had been. The wooden floors weren’t cold, the curtains weren’t thick, black ones that blocked out all light sources, it was _nothing_ like the room he’d spent 15 years in. It was more inviting, more open. He sighed heavily as he gazed over the vast garden. He would never return to that room. He would never be able to undo what he had done. 

Regulus’s room was filled with darkness when Mrs Potter entered with her medical kit, just after 10 O’clock, and it didn't surprise her. After all, some people become accustomed to living in darkness. Regulus didn’t seem to notice her enter at first. She watched him for a moment, noticing how shallow his breaths were and thinking to herself that he looked so small, lit only by the white moonlight. She knocked on the open door. Though she had done this incredibly gently Regulus jumped up instantly, his eyes wide and filled with fear. He softened slightly when the light was turned on and he saw Mrs Potter’s kind face smiling sympathetically at him from the doorway. She had her long, silver hair pinned into a neat bun and wore a gold night-dress.

With a gentle flick of her wand, she moved a large, crimson armchair from the corner of the room to edge of the bed and sat in it. Regulus watched silently as she carefully laid out a few small potion vials and a bandage. She patted the edge of the bed gently and Regulus took this as his cue to sit down too. She explained the process to him in complete detail, making sure he knew exactly what she was going to do and what to expect. Then, she disappeared out of the room, only to return moments later with Sirius in tow. He smiled sheepishly at Regulus, who nodded slightly, and took a seat next to him on the bed. Regulus did not acknowledge Sirius further, but deep down he was comforted by his presence. For years he had struggled with the loneliness of being left behind, but having Sirius next to him again, he felt himself breath slightly easier. He would never admit this though, it was too painful.

“Right, lets get this over with then, shall we?" Euphemia leaned forward and began to inspect Regulus’s wrist. She tutted to herself as she cast diagnostics on it before beginning the healing process, a simple one that no one had cared enough to do before. She knew the break was old and that it must’ve been causing the boy considerable pain, but she also knew he wasn’t anywhere near ready to talk about it with her, so she resigned herself to helping fix it for now. She handed him a small vial of painkiller, which he drank gladly. She then began to slowly manipulate the bones back into the correct places, lining up every fragment perfectly, constantly checking Regulus’s face to see if the painkiller was holding. When she was happy everything was in line, she handed him the Bone-Growing potion and chuckled slightly as he tried not to gag from the disgusting taste. She tenderly bandaged the wrist and handed Regulus an extra pain potion, in case the other one wore off too soon. When she was satisfied, she said goodnight to the brothers and turned to leave the room, kit in hand.

“Thank you!” Regulus said quietly, looking up at her with wide, sad eyes. She smiled at him again and left, closing the door behind her, leaving the Black brothers alone.

Regulus could feel Sirius building up to say something, but he couldn’t bare it, he couldn’t pretend everything was okay. He couldn’t pretend he didn’t feel incredibly guilty for choosing to come to Sirius’s new home, for forcing his way back into the life of someone who had chosen to leave him behind. He wasn’t ready for the emotions he knew he couldn’t control.

“I’m tired.” This was all Regulus could say as he climbed under the covers of his bed. Sirius seemed to deflate slightly, as though the wind had been knocked out of him by Regulus’s dismissal of his company. He got up and walked to the door, opening it slowly, as though he was waiting for Regulus to change his mind. He glanced at his brother, catching his eye for a moment before he rolled over, turning his back to Sirius.

“Goodnight Reggie.” Sirius spoke quietly, his voice thick with sadness. Regulus didn’t turn back over, he just listened for the click of the door shutting and the steps of his brother walking away before whispering “Goodnight Sirius”.

_“He’s gone.” A woman whispered, her voice was furious and sharp. Regulus pressed his ear against the other side of the door, desperately trying to hear the conversation._

_He was back in Grimmauld Place, in its cold and suffocating darkness. He was smaller, younger, more afraid than he’d ever been before. Regulus was stood outside the closed door to his father’s study, listening intently to the conversation between his parents, shaking with fear but unable to move away. He struggled to hear them over the pounding of his own heart._

_“Have his accounts frozen immediately and have EVERYTHING transferred to us. You will burn his face from the tapestry tonight. I shall add new wards to the house, ensuring he will never return. How did we end up with such a disgraceful excuse for a son?” Orion spat his words. Regulus could hear his boots stomping along the floor and knew he was pacing, as he often did when Sirius angered him._

_“He was always weak. I knew it the moment he was sorted into that disgrace of a House at Hogwarts. Then when Bellatrix explained how he was cavorting around with half-bloods and muggle-born children” She paused, as though the thought was too disgusting to carry on. “He is a disgrace and always has been.” Regulus could feel the tears flowing freely down his face as he took in his mother’s words. He was so upset with Sirius for leaving but was his mother correct? Was Sirius a disgrace? Regulus had always been so fiercely connected to his brother, his only source of happiness and love, and his mother’s harsh words dug into his chest like daggers._

_“Regulus is the heir now.” His father stated. “He must be controlled more closely; I will not have this happen again.” Regulus’s stomach twisted at the mention of his name and he slowly took a step away from the door. As he carefully placed his foot down, the floorboard gave a loud creak. Regulus froze._

_Before he could process his escape plan the door before him was thrown open and a firm hand was wrapped around the collar of his shirt, pulling him into the room. Once he was inside, his father threw him across the floor, causing him to slide into the wall, hard. Regulus laid on the floor, winded, shaking with fear and crying._

_“This is exactly what I’m talking about! Insolent, cowardly boy.” His father screamed the words at him. He seized Regulus tightly by his wrist, crushing it in his hand. Regulus yelped in pain, desperately looking to his mother for help. She turned her nose up at him, refusing to watch any further, and walked out of the room._

_“Do not ever let me catch you listening to my private conversations again, or crying like a child. You will grow up Regulus and act like the Black you are. You will not be the disappointment your disgusting brother is!” These were statements, facts, truths that he was setting in stone. Regulus was unable to stop his tears as his tried to tear his hand away from his father’s vice-like grip. “Stop crying!” With this final message, Orion flung his son's arm away from him, causing him to hit it violently on the side of his desk. He paid no attention to this and stormed back out of the room, leaving his youngest son on the floor, clinging to his wrist._

_Regulus was alone, unable to stop crying, feeling an intense pain in his back and wrist. His wrist was jutting out at an alarming angle, but in that moment, he couldn’t remember any healing spells. He stood up slowly, clutching at the desk to try and steady himself. As he reached the door, he stared into the pitch-black corridor before him, it seemed to stretch out for miles, cast in complete darkness. His breaths were becoming shallower as he prepared himself to walk through the darkness and he was sweating profusely. He was panicking._

_“_ Regulus” _A voice sounded through the hallway; it was familiar but felt so far away. A warm, orange light appeared at the end of the dark tunnel before him. Regulus hesitated for a moment. “_ Regulus” _The voice repeated, closer to him now. Regulus tore down the corridor, towards the light and as he reached it, it overwhelmed him._

Regulus sat bolt-upright in his bed, soaked with sweat, breathing quickly, shaking. He looked frantically around the unfamiliar room he was in. His eyes weren’t adjusting properly to the darkness, because he was so scared. He was gasping for air, like a fish out of water. Then, a hand clasped his shoulder tenderly. He jumped, startled by the presence of another person. There was a hand on his other shoulder now too, holding him in place.

“Focus on my voice Reg, take deep breaths. In and out.” The familiar voice was now coming from directly in front of him, forcing him to focus and regain control of his breathing. After a long time of following the other persons breathing, feeling the way their hands pressed small, comforting circles into his shoulders, Regulus felt his muscles relax again and his breathing evened out. He hadn’t even looked up at the other person yet, and as he did his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw the other boys face clearly.

“I’m sorry” These were the only words Regulus could force out as he stared into James large, brown eyes.

“Don’t be. Are you okay? Does this happen a lot?” James spoke softly, still holding the other boy by his shoulders, studying his expression, checking him over.

Regulus nodded, not specifying which question he was answering. He stared down at his bandaged wrist and sighed deeply; he was intensely embarrassed. “Did I wake you?” Regulus spoke barely above a whisper, unable to look at the other boy.

“No, don’t worry Reg!” James reassured him. “I was on my way back from the bathroom and heard you gasping, I was worried, so I just popped my head in and I’m very glad I did.” James started to thumb small circles into Regulus’s shoulders again. Regulus looked up at James, he was able to make out the shape of James’s glasses and perpetually messy hair, even in the darkness. Regulus let out a long breath.

“So am I” He spoke quietly before pulling away from James’s hands, laying back down and turning away, just as he had to Sirius. He didn’t say goodnight and he didn’t listen for the sound of the boy leaving because he was too exhausted. He gently pulled the covers up and covered his head, quietly sobbing until he’d fallen asleep.

It wasn’t until he feeling of warm sunlight on his skin woke him up, that he discovered that James had never left the room. He was curled up, fast asleep, in the armchair beside Regulus’s bed. Regulus couldn’t comprehend why James had stayed in the room; he was not a child that needed constant observation. For a moment he felt angry, but his anger subsided when reasoning kicked in and he accepted that James would have just been worried, as is written in his nature as a Potter. Regulus looked at him for a long time, just observing how content he seemed. He slept with his mouth slightly open, snoring gently but completely still and calm. Regulus was certain he had never slept as peacefully as James did, in his entire life. Regulus watched the boy for a minute or so before deciding to get up. He tip-toed silently around the room, grabbing clothes from his bag, he had become incredibly good at sneaking around silently since his incident, he was like a shadow. He hesitated as he was leaving the room, sighing to himself before he walked back to the chair and placed a blanket over James, who didn’t stir at all. Regulus walked out of the room without a second look. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, the pace will pick up and focus on more general parts of the boy's summer together and Reg becoming more trusting (with added moments of Reg learning to cook with Euphemia, talking to Fleamont about books and doing fun teen stuff with Pads and Prongs) before they return to Hogwarts in a few chapters time. Please let me know if you like this style of writing or if its too much waffle? also do you want the paragraphs breaking up more or are they okay as they are?(please give me advice!) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading!


	4. Libraries, Kitchens and Flying Grapes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A much needed wholesome and happy chapter!

Regulus had expected James to mention something about that night to Mrs Potter, or Sirius, but he didn’t. It wasn’t brought up again. From that night on, James and Regulus barely spoke to each other. This is not to say that James didn’t try, he had tried several times to speak to Regulus, but the other boy was quiet and avoided him mostly. James was usually off getting into trouble with Sirius and Regulus was constantly rejecting and ignoring the two boys pleas for him to join them, favouring a day in the library, alone.

When Regulus had realised that his wrist was completely fixed, it only took a day to heal after Mrs Potters work, he had broken down crying. He had spent two years in near-constant agony, not being able to heal his wrist himself or ask for help with it, he had been too afraid Madame Pomfrey would ask what had happened to get it fixed at Hogwarts. He wasn’t crying because he was happy the pain was gone, although he was relieved, he was crying because it had only taken Mrs Potter twenty minutes to fix and no one had ever cared enough to do it before. His own parents, his flesh and blood, had known it was broken, he had been hexed many times at dinners for not being able to hide his pain, but they had never bothered to fix it.

Regulus had been almost completely silent during every meal he’d shared with the Potter’s and Sirius so far. He would simply come when called, eat the meal, thank Mrs Potter, and then wash all of the dishes by hand, without being asked. Though he never had to do chores in Grimmauld Place, he felt obliged to do them now, desperate to repay the Potters in some form, by being as useful as he could be. Early one morning, during Regulus’s first week with the Potter’s, the five sat quietly at the table together for breakfast. He was stirring his tea absentmindedly, letting James and Sirius’s conversation about quidditch wash over his head, when Fleamont spoke to him across the table. They had only spoken once at this point; Regulus had thanked him for letting him stay in the house and had offered to help with anything the man needed. Fleamont had not pushed Regulus for more conversations, sensing his distrust and fear of authoritative figures, so it had taken Regulus by surprise when he spoke to him during their breakfast.

“Regulus, I’m planning on re-organising the library over the next few weeks.” He looked directly at the boy who was slightly twitchy and nervous, unable to hold eye contact. “I tried to enlist James and Sirius’s help but they’re useless when it comes to books and being helpful” There was a small gasp of protest from both boys before a gentle laugh from Fleamont. He spoke softly. “Would you like to help me? I can always use a second opinion.”

Regulus looked up at the older man now, looking into his eyes. His expression was genuine and kind. His hair was silver, like his wife’s, and pointed out at ridiculous angles, like James’s. His face was wrinkled from years of smiling and laughing, a feature neither of the Black parents had. He knew how much Regulus loved reading and he was reaching out in the best way he could. Regulus nodded gently.

“I’d like that a lot.” He spoke quietly. Euphemia exhaled, as though she’d been holding her breath and chuckled, leaning over and kissing her husband softly on the cheek. Regulus remained silent for the rest of breakfast, but he felt warm inside, almost hopeful, about the future. His future.

Fleamont and Regulus spent almost every day of the next two weeks together in the library. They worked, for the most part, in comfortable silence. Occasionally they would stop to discuss a book they particularly liked or disliked, offering their own critiques and opinions to each other. Regulus was beginning to trust the soft-hearted man, enjoying his presence and the way they had some similar interests. They sorted thousands of books into alphabetical order and then into sections, Muggle Books, Poetry, Spell Books, Magical Myths etc. Regulus enjoyed every minute he spent in the library. He revelled in seeing how old the books were, he spent hours looking at which pages had been marked by whoever had read it before, reading personalised inscriptions and with every book he gently brushed off any dust. He had always loved reading; admired the escape it allowed him to feel. In reality he might have been a child hiding under his bed from the ‘monsters’ but in his book, he was a man with the most powerful wand in the world, or flying a Hippogriff through the skies.

Regulus felt a sting of disappointment as he carefully placed the final book in its place, he wasn’t ready for them to be finished just yet. Fleamont patted him gently on the shoulder as they admired their hard work.

“Thank you for your help Regulus. It’s been a lot of fun.” Fleamont smiled at Regulus. Regulus only managed a polite shrug and a nod, desperately trying to conceal his sadness. In truth, Regulus was sad at the thought of feeling empty again. For the first week in the Potter house he had wandered around aimlessly, or spent whole days staring into the garden. He had avoided Sirius and James. He had wanted to be left alone, but now he didn’t. This ‘job’ had given him something to look forward, a sense of achievement and a sense of purpose. But now it was over. Fleamont, being the wise man and terrific father that he is, had anticipated Regulus’s disappointment at finishing the work and had a surprise for the boy. He crossed over to the large desk that sat in the middle of the library and pulled a wrapped package from its top draw. He leaned back casually on the desk and extended the package for Regulus to take.

Regulus hesitated for a long time before finally reaching forward and taking the gift. It was rectangular, wrapped in beautiful, floral paper. He carefully unwrapped it, peeling away the tape, not wanting to rip the paper. He glanced up at Fleamont. Regulus’s mouth was open in shock, and his eyes were gleaming with tears. He looked back down at the gift; it was a book. Regulus gently ran his fingers over the faded red cover, feeling the grooves of the golden, printed title ‘A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens’.

“It’s a muggle book, of course, but it’s very good. It’s a first edition, my father gave it to me when I was a child. It’s been my favourite ever since and now I’d like to pass it on to you” Fleamont said.

“Thank you, Sir…but what about James? Won’t he want it? It’s an heirloom, it belongs to him.” Regulus held the book back out to the man.

Fleamont just shook his head and placed his hand over Regulus’s on the book, pushing it back towards him. “James would lose it or use it as a Quaffle, he’s got plenty of other priceless items to inherit” He laughed “I would like for _you_ to have this.” He smiled at the boy, watching as he handled the book so delicately. Regulus looked up at him again, unable to say anything through fear he might start crying with happiness. Then, something remarkable happened. For the first time since the two had met, for the first time in a long time, for the first time since Sirius left him, Regulus smiled.

A week later and Regulus was about to finish the book for the third time when he was called to the kitchen. When he pushed through the door, he found Mrs Potter rushing around the room, turning pages in multiple cookbooks, throwing whisks around and surrounded by a cloud of flour. She had her hair in a very messy updo, she was wearing an apron that was emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest, and she was very red in the face. She sighed with relief when she spotted Regulus.

“Oh, thank Godric! My saviour has arrived. Please could you give me a hand? If you’re not too busy” They both knew he wasn’t busy and they both knew he would gladly help but she felt she had to ask anyway. “Fleamont didn’t think to mention that we were due to host a gathering this evening. I’ve got so much to do, and I could do with an extra set of hands. It seems that Sirius and James have vanished, quite conveniently for them, if you ask me.” She tutted slightly. Regulus had already moved over to the sink to wash his hands and he nodded at her. She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with her arm, spreading flour over her face accidentally. Regulus smiled inwardly and prepared for his first cooking lesson.

Mrs Potter had been the perfect teacher and Regulus thought to himself that maybe she was in the wrong profession. With Regulus being underage and therefore unable to use magic, the process was slower, but Mrs Potter didn’t mind this at all. She cast a few charms wherever necessary, to keep things progressing as she taught Regulus, but for the most part they cooked by hand. She showed him how to properly knead the dough for the bread, how to sauté potatoes, how to temper chocolate and when they’d finished Regulus would be able to recite the exact measurements for fifteen different dessert recipes. She chatted happily to the boy for hours, about times she’d cooked these dishes before, where the best chocolate she’d ever had was from, how she’d almost burned her house down trying to cook caramel once. Regulus relished being in the presence of Euphemia. She radiated positivity, love and light and he felt better every second he spent with her.

The boy was stirring a pot on the stove when a horrible thought dawned on him; who was attending this gathering, would they know Regulus was there? Would they tell his parents? Did they already know?

“If you don’t mind me asking, who are your guests tonight?” Regulus swallowed dryly; his palms were clammy as he continued to stir.

“It’s just a few old friends, I’m sure you wouldn’t know them.” She said before stopping and wordlessly casting a cleaning spell to get flour off the ceiling. Regulus let out a relieved breath. “I am so sorry about this but it’s probably best if you and the boys stay upstairs for the evening. It’ll be very boring down here and we’ve got lots of important things to discuss with our guests and it won’t be any fun for you three.” She continued.

“Of course! That’s no problem.” Regulus was well versed in staying in his room whilst his parents had guests over, though he assumed that the Potter’s guests would be less terrifying and angry. He flashed Euphemia a tight smile and started clearing away the detritus of their afternoon of baking and cooking.

As they were finishing their final preparations, James and Sirius appeared from through the back door. They tried to sneak in as fast as possible, but Mrs Potter was faster, she cut them off before they could disappear into the house. She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot in mock anger, tutting at the boys.

“Well if it isn’t the two most unhelpful wizards in the world!” Sirius tried to hold in a laugh and James elbowed him in the ribs, trying not to laugh too. “Regulus is now my favourite boy in the Potter house. Anyway, we’ve got guests over tonight so you three will have to entertain yourselves upstairs please. You don’t have to tiptoe around but be mindful, and NO funny business” She pointed an accusing finger at Sirius who gave a dramatic fake gasp, clutching his chest.

“You wound me!” He cried.

“I’m seriou….” Before she could even finish her poorly phrased reply James had jumped at the opportunity to make _the_ joke.

“No, HE’S Sirius!” James shouted, grabbing Sirius by the arm. They dissolved into laughter at the antique joke that, apparently, never seemed to get old. Even Euphemia let out a laugh.

“I set myself up for that one, I’ll admit. Right take this with you and go have fun upstairs.” She handed each of the boys a plate of food and sent them away. Regulus waited behind for a moment as Sirius and James ran upstairs to excitedly examine their food.

“Thank you!” Regulus said quietly. “Cooking was more enjoyable than I had originally thought it might be” He spoke so eloquently or someone his age that it always took Euphemia by surprise.

“It is isn’t it? Thank you for your help love. You've got a real knack for it. You’re welcome to help anytime you like.” She smiled widely at him.

“Enjoy your evening!” He said as he pushed through the kitchen door. He headed upstairs, he felt warm inside as he thought about Mrs Potter's compliment. He wasn't used to being praised for anything like this before, in a household with the mantra of 'Toujours Pur' he was never rewarded for being exceptional, it was simply expected. He was, of course, outstanding in his studies but he'd come to realise that any scholarly praise he received was a result of his name and not of his hard work. He felt happy and relaxed for the first time since being at the Potter’s. His happiness was short lived when he reached his room and found the door open, even though he always closed it. He felt a wave of panic wash over him and had to place his hand on the wall to steady himself for a moment. When he felt he could move again, he braced himself and stepped into his room. His fear fell away when he saw Sirius and James sat on a blanket on the floor. He sighed loudly and gave Sirius an annoyed look.

“Oh, come on Reggie! Your eyes will go square if you keep spending all night reading in here on your own. You’ll need glasses and end up looking like ol’ blind man over here.” Sirius laughed, pointing at James who squinted pointedly at Sirius.

“That is a horrifying thought” Regulus huffed. Sirius and James stared at each other silently for a second and then burst out laughing. Regulus made a big point of sighing very loudly again but gave in and sat himself down on the floor opposite the two of them, placing his plate in front of him.

“Wow, Regulus Black making a joke! I never thought I’d see the day.” James declared. Regulus glared at him, resenting the insinuation but knowing that he was justified in saying such a thing.

“Who said I was joking?” Regulus remarked, looking directly into James's eyes. He hadn’t really looked at the other boy since the first night. He had desperately tried to avoid his large, knowing, sympathetic, eyes because they made him feel embarrassed. However, now they just made his stomach feel weird, probably just unresolved anger, Regulus convinced himself. James smirked at him, running his hand through his hair, before leaning forward and picking a grape up from his plate. He threw it at Regulus, hitting him in the shoulder.

Before Regulus had the chance to react Sirius had joined in, smearing cake frosting over James’s forehead. Regulus thought the whole idea of joining in was ridiculous and beneath him, but as he considered leaving, he felt strangely drawn to the absurd situation. He saw how James and Sirius acted like both best friends and brothers and Regulus felt a pang of jealousy. He reached down and picked up a small sausage roll, his heart sighed as he considered ruining something that had taken so long to make that afternoon. Tired of worrying about every action he did, he launched it at Sirius. It hit Sirius straight in the face, knocking him back slightly. Sirius quickly brought his hands up to cover his face, he made a strange noise, like crying. Regulus’s heart paused for a moment, terrified that he’d gone too far.

Suddenly, Sirius threw his head back and let out the most outrageous laugh. Regulus and James stared at each other for a moment, James then joined in, laughing uproariously. Regulus tried to fight it, but he couldn’t help it, he fell into a fit of laughter. The boys all rolled around laughing for far too long, every time they finally calmed down, they would accidentally make eye contact and set themselves off again.

“I haven’t laughed this hard in so long” James wheezed out, clutching his side.

Sirius wiped a tear out of his eye and looked over at Regulus. Regulus’s face was incredibly red, and he had watery eyes too. Sirius felt a moment of relief as he watched his little brother, looking more peaceful and happier than he had ever seen before. The three boys ended up falling asleep on the blanket on Regulus's bedroom floor, all worn out from laughing so hard. As he drifted to sleep, Regulus thought to himself that exhaustion from laughing too hard was definitely the best kind of exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned in the next few chapters for a marauders end of summer bonfire and an eventful return to Hogwarts for the boys. 
> 
> Sorry if this is too long of a chapter, I'm trying to get to the return to Hogwarts because I'm excited about those chapters.
> 
> Thank you as always!x


	5. The Sting of Firewhiskey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a few weeks after the previous chapter, the boys are getting along, playing quidditch and being good friends. It's the evening before they all return to Hogwarts and the Marauders are convening for a summer send off.
> 
> I've put notes at the end to avoid spoilers.

“Hurry up James! Moony and Wormtail will be here any minute.” Sirius bellowed from down the stairs.

“Thank you for reminding me! I’d almost forgotten, in the five minutes since you said the same thing.” James shouted back.

James was stood outside of Regulus’s room, deciding whether to knock or not. He paused for a moment and then knocked lightly.

“Come in” said a soft voice from inside. James turned the handle and pushed through and into the room. He leaned against the door and watched Regulus as he hurriedly put his books and the last of his clothes into his trunk, ready for the return to Hogwarts the next day. He barely paid any notice to James; he was too focused on ensuring he had everything. The curtains were open, and the afternoon sun coated the room in golden light. As James looked at Regulus, he couldn’t help but compare the boy now to the boy he’d seen on that night two months ago. Two months ago, he had been terrified, untrusting, cold, and angry. Now, he was warmer, less angry, he didn’t flinch whenever a door slammed anymore, James couldn’t hear him hyperventilating in his sleep when he passed the room anymore, he seemed happier. He was different physically too, after weeks of cooking and helping in the library, as well as regular quidditch matches with James and Sirius, he was much stronger and looked less fragile. His skin was pinker, not the ghostly white it had been, his hair curled gently at his shoulders now, like Sirius’s and his eyes were brighter, no longer sunken and full of sadness. James felt fiercely protective of Regulus, the same way he did for Sirius and seeing him so much happier and healthier made his heart swell slightly.

“Remus and Peter are apparently closing in on us, you ready?” James spoke as Regulus finally closed his trunk. Their eyes met and James flashed Regulus a smile.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me crashing your night? I really don’t mind staying in here.” Regulus scratched the back of his head nervously. That evening was to play host to the Marauder's yearly, end of summer, bonfire night. They would sit around and tell stories, play games, eat too much food and talk excitedly about the pranks they had planned for the next school year.

“We are not having this conversation again!” James laughed. “We have to celebrate the end of a great summer and you being able to stay here permanently” James crossed his fingers and waved them towards Regulus, winking at him. “Come on! Sirius might explode if we don’t hurry up” Regulus smiled softly and nodded.

An hour later, the five boys were sitting on fold-out camping chairs around a large fire, in front of the Potter’s pond. Remus was sat next to Sirius and they kept whispering to each other and then laughing. Peter sat between Sirius and James, happily gorging himself on the cakes Mrs Potter had made them. James sat next to Regulus and the two were engaged in a heated conversation about the best way to catch the snitch in a game. The fire had been a stroke of genius, created by Fleamont, he’d lit it the muggle way and charmed it so it wouldn’t need maintaining and would extinguish at exactly 8am. It covered the boys in warmth as the sun dipped below the horizon and the stars began to appear.

“Let’s play truth or dare!” Sirius exclaimed. The other boys all nodded in agreement and then, to everyone’s surprise, Peter produced a bottle of Firewhiskey from his bag.

“How did you get your hands on that Wormtail?” James gaped.

“Dad’s got loads of them and I thought it might be fun to have it tonight at the ‘Annual Marauders” He looked at over at Regulus “and guest, Return to Hogwarts Bonfire’. Right?” Peter stared around at all of the boys; they were all looking to James for an answer. He always had the answer. He looked conflicted for a moment and then jumped up and threw an arm around Peter’s shoulders.

“Wormtail is officially the man of the evening! Let’s drink.” He cried out, they all laughed as they began to pass around the bottle. The other boys had all secretly had it before, but Regulus had never had the chance. He winced as the liquid burned his throat and thought for a second, he might spit it straight back out, but he managed to swallow it, earning a great cheer from the other boys.

“Truth or dare?” Sirius asked James.

“Dare, obviously.” James replied.

Sirius had dared James to jump in the pond, which he had no problems with at all. He bowed triumphantly as he climbed out of the water, dripping wet, with a huge grin on his face. Peter had foolishly opted for a truth and was forced to admit that he had a big crush on Marlene McKinnon, one of their fellow Gryffindors. Sirius had then given a pitch-perfect rendition of David Bowie's Life On Mars. Remus had chosen to do a dare and Peter had nearly pissed himself laughing at the idea of forcing Remus to hold Sirius’s hand for an entire round, so he’d suggested that. Sirius had dramatically placed his hand into Remus’s lap and even in the darkness, Regulus could see the blush creeping into Remus’s cheeks as he laced their fingers together. Regulus had opted for dare and now had holes burned into the soles of his socks from trying to jump over the fire. The game continued in this ridiculous fashion for a few more rounds, the drink continued to flow, and the boys slowly became tipsier. Regulus, who had never had alcohol outside of family gatherings, and even then, it had only ever been one glass of champagne, was in a happy drunken state. He looked over at Sirius and Remus, who were whispering to each other, and noticed that their hands were still laced together. Peter was yawning constantly, but seemed desperate to stay awake with the others and continue the game.

“Regulus, your go again.” Peter yawned.

Regulus thought for a moment before opting for truth, for the first time in the game.

“Why did you leave home?” Peter seemed to say the words before the weight of them had registered in his mind. Sirius and Remus snapped out of their whispered conversation and looked over at Peter. James’s eyes were wide and angry.

“Pete! What the fuck!” James spat, furiously. His protective nature had kicked in and the alcohol in his system was making it worse. He looked as though he was about to launch himself at the terrified boy, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Regulus looked into James’s eyes and smiled.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Regulus spoke calmly to James. He relaxed slightly and Peter, who had been holding his breath, finally breathed again. “I had been planning it for a long time. Since Sirius left really, I just didn’t know where I could go. In June, I’d finally decided I was going to try and stay with Andromeda, at least until the school year started again. I went to Diagon Alley to get the last few things I needed, I told Mother and Father that I was going to get my schoolbooks early, in case they sold out. I got the bits and when I arrived back to Grimmauld Place my bedroom door was open. When I went inside Father was there, he had my letters to Andromeda in his hand and he was furious.” Regulus’s eyes pricked with tears as he spoke, but he forced himself to carry on, James and Sirius deserved to know the truth. “He hexed me and told me Mother was coming to punish me further. He turned to throw the letters into the fireplace in my room and I was so scared I grabbed my trunk and ran. I could hear him coming after me, shouting for me, I went to the fireplace in his office and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. In that second, the only address I could think of was this town, so I ended up in a bed and breakfast, down the road. I sat outside this house for nearly a full day, working out what I was going to do” His tears were flowing freely now. “Then I just needed to see Sirius, so I finally knocked. The Potter’s have helped in ways I can never explain or repay but they are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I am so grateful to them” Regulus placed his hand on James’s shoulder, James looked completely horrified from hearing Regulus’s story but managed to smile at him.

Sirius finally let go of Remus hand, he stood up and walked over to Regulus. He hadn’t said a word, his expression was unreadable. He pulled Regulus up from his chair and threw his arms around him, enveloping him in a crushing hug. Regulus cried gently into his older brother’s shoulder as he hugged him back, equally as tightly. When they finally separated, the boys all stood together, arms around each other’s shoulders and they raised their glasses toward the fire.

“A toast! To Regulus. To the Potter’s. To what is going to be the best year in Hogwarts history!” Sirius shouted. The boys all knocked their glasses together and laughed heartedly.

Peter had finally caved and gone inside to bed. The other boys continued to talk and plan pranks for the year. Regulus felt incredible, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders and felt that he finally had a place, a family who cared for him. He felt optimistic about the year and his heart tingled with excited nerves. The late hour quickly caught up to the boys and they headed inside. Regulus was disappointed to find a sleeping Peter Pettigrew in his bed, he had obviously been too tired to realise that it wasn’t James’s room, where he’d been told to sleep. Regulus sighed slightly and grabbed his pyjamas before heading to sleep on the couch downstairs. As he closed the door to his room, he noticed James looking confusedly at his own room.

“Peter seems to have fallen asleep in my bed.” Regulus whispered with a laugh. “I’m going to sleep downstairs.”

“That’s ridiculous, share with me.” James whispered back to Regulus. He must have seen the hesitation in Regulus’s face, then he added “Remus and Sirius are sharing. Come on!” James gestured for Regulus to enter his room. Regulus, being extremely tired and still buzzing from the Firewhiskey, gave up fighting it and went into James’s room. James closed the door quietly and smiled at Regulus again. He then pulled off his shirt and moved across the room to get another, as if Regulus wasn’t even there. Regulus was slightly shocked but couldn’t take his eyes off the boy. He was toned, from years of quidditch and his body was flawless. Regulus got that same strange feeling in his stomach and dismissed it as being a result of too much alcohol, he forced himself to look away, quickly changing his own shirt and climbing into the bed. James slid in next to him and turned off his bedside lamp. The two laid there, facing each other, in the silence and darkness for a few minutes. Finally, James let out a breath.

“Goodnight Reg” he whispered to the other boy, unable to see his facial features in the darkness, before turning away from him.

“Goodnight James” Regulus breathed back before turning to face the other way. Their backs pressed together lightly, and Regulus spent a long time thinking about how comforted he felt by the presence of another person. In future, he would remember that as the best night sleep he had ever had, but couldn’t work out why.

The next morning, Regulus was woken by a mixture of things. Firstly, the morning sun filtering through the partially opened curtains, secondly, the pounding in his head from drinking far too much the night before and lastly, the feeling of something holding him down. Regulus was particularly worried about the last factor. He glanced down and found James Potter’s arm wrapped around his waist, holding him tightly. James’s faced was resting gently against Regulus’s shoulder and his breath tickled across his skin, making Regulus shiver at the intimacy. He was fast asleep but his fingers were subconsciously tracing small circles on Regulus's side, their bodies pressed together.

Regulus's heart was racing and he began to panic that it was loud enough to wake James up. He stayed frozen and tried to come up with an escape plan. He didn’t want to wake James, who looked as peaceful as he did that morning months ago, but he had to remove himself from this situation. He very carefully pried James’s arm off and slipped out of the bed silently. He stood still for a moment, watching James who was still asleep and now cuddling a pillow.

Regulus crossed over to the window and sat on the seat beneath it, looking out into the garden. He rested his head against the glass and allowed himself to think about the future. He had already spoken to Euphemia and Fleamont and they’d desperately wanted him to stay with them permanently, when he finally relented and said yes Mrs Potter had cried with happiness. Fleamont had simply patted him on the shoulder and gone to write to Dumbledore, explaining that, like with Sirius, Regulus was not safe with the Black’s and that Dumbledore should make the same arrangements for Regulus that he had for Sirius. Regulus had never been happier than when he was at the Potter’s, but he still had the gut feeling he didn’t belong and the fear that his parents would find a way to force him to go home. Then he thought about Hogwarts, about walking the hallways again, the freedom he was allowed, the idea of playing quidditch with his team, to see his dormmates again, he was even excited for lessons. He thought about how different things were now, he had a brother again, he even had new friends in James, Peter, and Remus. He had a newly mended arm that would make him invincible as a Seeker and he was feeling confident. He thought about James, his opponent as a player, his friend, someone who was protective of him and genuinely cared for him without being forced to because of his Black name. As he thought of James, he got that familiar, tense feeling in his stomach. He’d dismissed it before, as anger or alcohol but he was growing more and more unsure of the truth of that idea. He wasn’t able to dwell for too long before he was interrupted by Peter bursting through the door, shouting about the chance of them all being late. James, only semi-conscious, launched a pillow at his head, sending him down the hall to annoy Remus and Sirius.

“Morning Reg.” James smirked at Regulus. His hair was charmingly messy, as always, his shirt had ridden up slightly, exposing his toned stomach again. Regulus flicked his eyes to James’s. He flashed him a quick smile before darting out of the room to get dressed and grab his trunk.

Peter was still chatting nervously about all the things he was sure he’d forgotten as they approached Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Remus was mildly hungover and looked as though he hadn’t slept at all. Sirius looked completely normal apart from slight tiredness in his eyes. James looked entirely fine, no hint of a hangover, buzzing with excited energy, much to Remus and Regulus’s annoyance. Regulus knew he must’ve looked sick but promised Mrs Potter it was from eating too much cake and nothing else. He had to take deep breaths as he ran through the wall onto the platform, afraid the shift in air and overwhelming feeling of magic might make him throw up. They all managed to get through without any incident. They were now all practically bouncing with excitement, and the sight of the Hogwarts express made Regulus feel instantly better.

The group then made their way down the platform, towards the train door. Regulus fell behind the other boys slightly, struggling to carry his trunk, having difficulty squeezing through the crowd of excited wizards.

Suddenly he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He looked up and almost screamed.

“Sirius!” He managed to call out, whipping his head back in the direction of his brother.

Sirius turned around in time to see the terror in Regulus’s eyes. Their father stood there, eyes gleaming with anger as he held Regulus firmly by the shoulder. Sirius tried to push his way back to his little brother, but was too late.

* _CRACK*_

He was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Obsessed with the idea of a marauder's bonfire night  
> 2) Of course Peter fancies Marlene, he's clueless  
> 3) Crumbs of cute Wolfstar and very cliche Jegulus moment  
> 4) Explanation of Regulus leaving home  
> 5) Orion apparates Regulus from the train station  
> 6) The next chapter is going to be a rough one, sorry in advance.
> 
> Also a big shoutout to LunaLeonorah for the constant support! You're too kind x


	6. Unforgivable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slightly longer chapter. It's very dark and sad. (I promise there's happy chapters coming soon!)
> 
> CW: Child abuse, torture, mentions of vomit and blood.

Regulus felt as though he was being ripped apart as he was being squeezed through time and space. He gasped for air as his body slammed against a cold, wooden floor. He was instantly sick, so disorientated that he could barely see or hear anything. A second ago he had been happily preparing to board the Hogwarts Express and now he was somewhere completely different. As he continued to choke up vomit, he spotted a pair of perfectly polished, dark green shoes across the room, and everything came back to him. His father had been there, at the station, he had grabbed his shoulder, Regulus had seen the terror in Sirius’s eyes before he was pulled away, his father had apparated him from the station.

Fear overcame Regulus and he knew he had to escape. He tried to pull himself off of the floor but found that he couldn’t move. He cried out, desperately trying to get away from the place he’d been brought to. The mess before him disappeared and he felt a force pulling him to his knees, forcing his head up. It was as though someone was holding him in place, binding him with invisible rope, or chains. He stared ahead, struggling as hard as he could to free himself from the magical hold.

“Stop acting like a fool Regulus.” A sharp voice cut through the room and Regulus’s mother stepped out of the darkness. He stopped struggling instantly. He couldn’t control the terror that he knew was written on his face as he stared at her.

Walburga Black was a ghastly woman. She was tall, impossibly thin and her skin was so white it was almost translucent. Her eyes were grey, the same as her son’s, but hers were filled with anger, resentment, power and not an ounce of love. Her long, dark hair was pinned meticulously to her head, exposing her neck and razor-sharp collarbones. Her cheekbones stuck out of her face, more severely defined than Sirius and Regulus’s, her skin seemed sunken. To someone who didn’t know her, she might have been mistaken as fragile but to those who did know her, she was a terrifying force of nature, not to be underestimated. She stared down at Regulus, clasping her wand in her hand. She was seething with anger.

He opened his mouth to beg for forgiveness but was cut off by wordless magic and the swift movement of his mother’s wand. He wasn’t able to look down at his shirt but could feel the agonizing sting of a blade cut through his skin, cutting a line across his stomach. Regulus could tell that it wasn’t deep enough to do serious damage, but it was a magical wound and he knew that it would leave a scar that would never fade. The mental scarring now had a physical counterpart, something it had never had before. Regulus knew that Sirius had endured this pain many times before and this thought stopped Regulus from crying out, if Sirius could endure it, so could he.

“You will stop this façade and return home Regulus. You belong to us.” His father appeared before him; his eyes still filled with furious anger. Regulus whimpered quietly. “You will not leave this house again until you act as the Black Heir should. You may have felt clever for running away and staying with blood-traitors, half-bloods, and your disgusting excuse for a brother but I can assure you it was a big mistake. One that we will ensure will never be repeated.”

Orion was a terrifying man. He paraded his pure-blood status like a badge of honour and would never willingly allow someone who didn’t share his status in his house, or presence. He was an extremely strong dark wizard. He could perform unforgivable curses with barely any concentration, he was a strong follower of The Dark Lord and he was ready for the day when Pure-Bloods were the only wizards left. Standing over his immobilized, terror-stricken son, he felt nothing. No guilt, no regret, no care at all. He felt only anger and embarrassment and he knew how he would punish the boy in a way that would stop him from misbehaving in future.

“ _Crucio_!” Orion hissed, guiding the red flash of light from his wand to Regulus.

The force that had bound Regulus to the spot fell away, allowing his body to fall back against the hard floor once again. As the curse hit Regulus, he was consumed by a pain stronger than anything he had felt before. Every nerve in his body was electrocuted, his muscles spasmed beyond control and his vision began to blur. As his body convulsed, he could feel his head repeatedly hitting the floor, but he could do nothing to stop it. His eyes rolled back in his head and he was stuck in the darkness. For, what felt like forever Regulus could do nothing. He was screaming with every bit of force he could muster, but no sound was coming out. If he’d been able to form a cohesive thought, Regulus would’ve wondered if this was what dying felt like. He wished he was dead. He wanted the cold release of death to free him from the agony he was in. When the curse dropped him from its grasp, he was rendered unable to move, he just laid on the floor in the foetal position, eyes staring ahead, empty. His body continued to twitch and spasm, still trying to recover from the assault it had just endured but he couldn’t feel anything anymore. He was numb.

He could hear his parent’s muffled voices, but he couldn’t focus enough to make out the words they were saying. He didn’t know how long it had been since he arrived or how long he’d been cursed for. Occasionally, as his body twitched, he could feel the gash on his stomach, it sent pained shocks through him with every involuntary move. No pain would ever match that of the curse he’d just had inflicted upon him, so he didn’t truly register his bleeding stomach. As he laid there, silently praying that one of his parents would kill him and put him out of his agony and misery, he barely registered the flashing of green light from across the room. His vision had cleared to normal again, but he struggled to focus on specifics. He slowly tilted his head towards the fireplace where the green flashing was coming from. Out of the fireplace stepped Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. Within a second, there was a familiar crack of apparition and Dumbledore appeared in front of them with the Minister for Magic, Harold Minchum.

“ _Protego Maxima_ ” Euphemia instantly directed the strong protection spell over Regulus.

“ _Expelliarmus_ ” Minchum and Dumbledore cast in unison. Orion and Walburga’s wands flew to their hands before they were able to apprehend their visitors.

“How dare you!” Walburga screamed, like a banshee.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Magic and under the Protection of Underage Wizards Act, we have come to remove Regulus Arcturus Black from your household. We have deemed this living situation to be unsafe for the boy” He looked pointedly at Regulus and then back at Walburga and Orion who were stood frozen, furious and shocked. “He will be taken into the care of Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, as was previously arranged and agreed upon with Regulus himself. He will remain there until he is seventeen years old, where he will be allowed to decide for himself where he wants to reside.” Minchum glanced at Regulus again, still unmoving, and barely conscious. “Though I wouldn’t hold your breath for his return.”

Orion started to spew an onslaught of abuse at Minchum and everyone in the room. He shouted about how Regulus was his son and it was his right to treat him however he liked. Minchum, though new to the job of Minister, was unphased and simply placed a legal document on Orion’s desk. By this point Euphemia and Fleamont were kneeling beside Regulus on the floor. A pool of blood had begun to surround Regulus, the cut on his stomach was still bleeding profusely. Euphemia had gently moved his head onto her lap and stroked his hair, waiting for the Minister to allow them to leave. Fleamont was trying to carefully stretch some of Regulus’s muscles, to stop them from seizing. Once the Minister had legally finished his speech, Fleamont placed a hand on Euphemia and Regulus and apparated them as close to Hogwarts as he could get them.

Madam Pomfrey, Professor Slughorn and Professor McGonagall were waiting for them when they appeared. Pomfrey had summoned a floating stretcher and quickly placed Regulus on it. Regulus was unconscious, the result of severe blood loss, the curse, stress and apparating for a second time. Euphemia was struggling to hold herself together, every time she looked at Regulus, she thought to herself that he didn’t look like he was sleeping, he looked like he was dead. None of the group knew the extent of Regulus’s injuries until they reached the hospital wing and set him in a bed. The wing was empty, it was early afternoon and only the first day of term, so they had the privacy to work. With the professors and Potters around the bed, Pomfrey drew the curtains and cast a diagnostic over the boy. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped at the information before her.

“He’s got a gash on his stomach as a result of a severing charm, most likely a powerful Diffindo. That’s where all the blood is coming from. I’ll have to tend to that first.” The medi-witch’s voice trembled as she spoke. She got to work quickly, summoning different potions and creams as she removed Regulus’s blood-soaked shirt. Slughorn couldn’t hide his shock at the sight as he drew in a breath sharply. There was a thick, crimson line that traced from the top of Regulus’s ribs on the left side, to the bottom of his ribs on the right side. It was oozing blood with every breath the boy took. Euphemia couldn’t bare to look at the laceration, she sat in a chair beside the boy and continued to soothingly stroke his hair. Fleamont placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, also unable to look at the injury. McGonagall and Slughorn stood in silence as Pomfrey worked. Slughorn now had an awkward and uncomfortable expression on his face and McGonagall’s brow was threaded with worry as she did her best to remain composed.

Poppy Pomfrey managed to stop the bleeding, using her wand to stick the skin back together and pouring a blood replenishing potion into the inert boy’s mouth. She hesitated as she tried to reveal his other injuries. Unsure if she would even be able to say it.

“What is it Poppy?” McGonagall spoke softly, sensing the witch’s fear.

Pomfrey swallowed dryly and looked up at the others. “He’s been cursed. The Cruciatus curse for no less than two full minutes.” Euphemia let out a small shriek and buried her head in her hands. Regulus may not have been their child biologically, but over the months they had grown to love him, and he had done the same in return. He was so different to Sirius, so untrusting in the beginning, so shut off. But he had come so far, he laughed now, he asked questions, he spent time with Fleamont and Euphemia of his own accord. He had been so desperate for an authority figure to treat him kindly, to love him and now he finally had it. Euphemia knew that this would reset all of their progress, she just hoped it would be possible to bring him back.

“The Cruciatus curse?” Fleamont gasped as though the thought was completely unimaginable. He looked down at Regulus, so small and shy, so desperate for love and validation, and felt the anger rising in his body.

“I’m afraid so. He needs to stay here for the next few days while we do the exercises and treatments to hopefully get rid of any lasting physical effects.” Pomfrey’s voice was thick with sadness as she explained.

A short while later, as Slughorn and McGonagall were preparing to return to their Houses, Regulus opened his eyes. The curtains around the bed were drawn but the daylight still pushed its way through, making his head hurt. He closed his eyes tightly again. Euphemia instinctively reached for his hand, clasping it tightly in hers as the tears quietly ran down her face. Slughorn let out a small, inappropriate cheer and flushed red with embarrassment when McGonagall gave him a fierce glare.

“Hello Regulus, you’re in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. You’ll have to stay here for a few more days and hopefully we can get you better in no time at all.” Pomfrey was speaking in a sickeningly sweet voice, the one parents use on babies.

“Will I be ready in time for lessons to start?” He whispered pathetically. He opened his eyes slowly and looked around at the faces before him. Fleamont managed to plaster on a pained smile and Euphemia followed suit, unable to hide her tear stained face.

“Why don’t we focus on your recovery first and then we can discuss what comes next?” Slughorn chirped in.

“I want to go back to lessons. I don’t want to have people ask questions. I will not be able to bare answering them.” Regulus stared at the ceiling, tracing the columns with his eyes.

“That’s alright Regulus. We’ll sort it out. You need to rest for now. We’ll come in and check on you regularly. Maybe your brother can come and stay with you for a few hours.” Madam Pomfrey spoke, using her normal voice again.

“No!” Regulus panicked. “You can’t tell Sirius what happened. Or James. Or anyone. I don’t want them to know yet. Do not let them in here.” He began to twitch violently again as his emotions took over. Everyone dove towards him to hold him still and Pomfrey gave him a calming potion. Once it had taken effect and Regulus was still again, breathing evenly, he looked into Euphemia’s eyes. “Please don’t tell them.” He whispered as his eyes fluttered closed and he felt himself drift to sleep.

The days following the incident were particularly painful for Regulus. Pomfrey appeared every two hours to check his muscles for tremors. He’d heard Sirius and James getting sent away multiple times. He couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty or even care that they were trying to see him. He couldn’t remember what had happened. His memory stopped at Sirius’s terror filled eyes on Platform Nine and Three Quarters and restarted at waking up in the hospital wing and having to be restrained. He knew his parents had been involved, he knew that Euphemia hadn’t left his side since he woke up, he also knew that he did not want anyone to know what had happened. He needed to remember though; he was angry at himself for the ridiculous defence mechanism that he’d unknowingly enforced.

Regulus’s memories came back to him days after the attack. He’d been sat in his hospital bed, reading his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook after sending Euphemia home with the promise that he was okay and that he would write to her as often as he could. Shortly after she left Regulus was startled by the curtains opening slightly, he wasn’t expecting Pomfrey for another hour. However, no one appeared, the curtains closed again, as though the wind had caught them momentarily. Regulus rubbed his eyes and shook his head, he felt stupid for being so scared and antsy. He was getting incredibly frustrated at not being able to focus properly, angered by the headache that was building. He threw the book to the end of his bed with a defeated sigh. It landed open; Regulus glanced over at it. The title of the page burned into his eyes, ‘Unforgivable Curses’. Everything came flooding back. He couldn’t control the cry that came from his mouth. It tore through him with such force that it knocked him backwards and he ended up on the floor. Within a second someone was there, holding him. It was James.

“ _Sonoro Quiescis”_ James whispered, casting the spell to allow Regulus to continue sobbing without drawing any unwanted attention.

The two boys were on the floor beside Regulus’s bed. James carefully pulled Regulus close to him, moving him as though he were made of glass and would shatter in his hands. Regulus buried his face in James’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably, clinging to James’s robe with his fists. The memories brought back the pain, the unbearable pain both physical and mental. His own parents. His flesh and blood. The people who brought him into this world. They had cursed him. They had used a curse that they knew he would never forget, never fully recover from. Regulus had been under no false pretences about the evil nature of his parents, but he had never imagined they could do a thing like this. James rocked Regulus gently, pressing those familiar circles into his arm, hugging him tightly. They sat like that for a long time until Madam Pomfrey came for her regular checks. She shot James a confused look when she drew back the curtains and found the two boys in a tight embrace on the floor. James looked up at her and shook his head. The two of them managed to get Regulus back into the bed, he had stopped crying and instead wore a completely vacant expression.

“I remember.” Regulus said in a flat tone, staring at the ceiling.

“That’s alright love. We knew it would happen eventually, I’ll go and fetch some potions for you to take.” She patted his arm softly before turning to James. “Mr Potter will say goodbye now and leave. I would ask you how you managed to sneak by me but it’s probably best I don’t know.” She spoke in a stern voice before hurrying away to her office.

The boys remained silent, James didn’t want to leave, Regulus didn’t really want him to leave either.

“How did you get in here?” Regulus looked at James with tear filled eyes.

“Well… I have a… device of sorts… Anyway, we got sent away so many times I knew I had to go to desperate measures. I just wanted to sneak in and make sure you were okay, I promise I wasn’t trying to go against your wishes, we were just so worried. Sirius said it was your father at the station and I saw mum in here so knew it must’ve been bad. No one will tell us anything but if you’re ever ready Reg, we’re here for you.” James blurted out at warp speed.

“You have a device of sorts?” Regulus raised an eyebrow at James, wiping the tears from his face with his blanket. James began to speak but stopped himself. The marauders all knew about the cloak and he used it so often, Regulus should know about it too. In truth, he was scared Regulus would feel violated by the fact that James had been able to watch him without him knowing and after he’d explicitly requested not to see anyone. James pushed these selfish thoughts aside and reached for the fabric he’d stashed beneath the bed. Regulus’s eyes widened as James put the cloak on and vanished in front of him.

“You have an invisibility cloak!” Regulus whispered.

“I’m so sorry Regulus. I’ll go. I just wanted to make sure you’re safe.” James pulled the cloak off and squeezed Regulus’s shoulder. Regulus caught James’s wrist before he could turn to leave. They locked eyes. 

“Can you stay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking forward to writing some happier Hogwarts chapters next! 
> 
> I'm sorry for such a dark chapter, I hope I've written it in the right way.
> 
> Explanation in case its not clear: James has been sneaking in to check on Regulus using the invisibility cloak and that's why the curtains move, and he's there to help so quickly. 
> 
> I've got an assessment due tomorrow so I won't be posting the next chapter for a few more days! I'll make sure it's an extra good one to make up for it, lots of love. Thank you so much for the incredible support and kind comments! You're all so lovely x


	7. Victory At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No CW that I can think of. Wholesome/happy chapter.

A month had passed since the return to Hogwarts and everyone was settling into the new normal. Regulus would write to Euphemia every other day, not necessarily because he had to, but because he wanted to. He liked her messy handwriting and the way the page was always covered in flour or chocolate from where she baked as she wrote. She had told him that the ministry had not been able to obtain his belongings from Grimmauld Place and that he shouldn’t worry because the Potter’s would buy him anything he wanted. After that, their next letters were all about how Regulus wanted his room decorated, what clothes he liked and what posters and pictures he wanted put up. Euphemia wanted it to feel like a safe place for him to be, somewhere that was his, when he returned for Christmas.

Another part of the new normal was that every student who annoyed or questioned Regulus ended up mysteriously being jinxed. Regulus wasn’t doing most of the jinxing, he didn’t see the point of bringing that much attention to himself. The Marauders, on the other hand, had no issue with jinxing every wizard in sight. Regulus had been avoiding Sirius and James for the most part. He tried not to meet their eye across the Great Hall during meals. He tried to get to lessons as early as possible so they couldn’t bump into him in the hall. These were all futile attempts of course. No matter where he went, he always encountered one of the Marauders, it was as though they had a tracker on him, they were always there. It was starting to get on Regulus’s nerves. He knew they meant well but it meant that every other student avoided him, through constant fear of being hit with an Ebublio, Ice or Jelly-Legs jinx. So, as a result, Regulus had become quite lonely.

He’d never had a huge number of friends at Hogwarts, so he didn’t mind it too much. The Marauders were unfortunately acting under the assumption that he still had friends in Slytherin that he could talk to, which they soon found out, he did not. Throughout his Hogwarts life he had, for the most part, stuck with his Slytherin housemates, favouring Barty Crouch Jr. in particular. Regulus had been forced into a quick realisation that everything was different this year. He had assumed that his family would be too embarrassed to tell others what he had done, but this was apparently not the case, as Regulus found out from Crouch on his return from the hospital wing.

When Regulus had entered his dorm for the first time that year, he instantly knew something was off, there was a hostile atmosphere in the room. Crouch had been sat on his bed, reading a book about Magical Warfare. As Regulus had crossed over to his own bed, Crouch had muttered something under his breath. Regulus chose to ignore it, not feeling like conversing with the other boy. Crouch was always aching for an argument and Regulus was too tired to engage in one. As he’d unpacked the few items he’d managed to salvage from his trunk, Crouch muttered again but louder this time. Regulus turned to face the other boy, leaning on one of his bed posts, sighing deeply.

“For Salazar's sake Crouch, spit it out!” Regulus said in a frustrated tone. Crouch was on his feet in an instant, face inches from Regulus’s, fists clenched.

“Don’t you dare speak to me like that, filthy blood-traitor!” Crouch spat the words at Regulus’s shocked face.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Crouch, back off!” Regulus shoved the other boy away from him.

“You’ll regret that one day. You’ll regret every silly decision you’ve made.” Crouch shouted angrily as he walked out of the room.

After that encounter Regulus and Barty Crouch Jr. didn’t speak again. It was much easier than Regulus had anticipated, to go through his life without speaking to the boy who slept in the same room as him, it was as if they were invisible to each other. The only light in the situation was the new place that Regulus spent his free time, the Gryffindor Common room.

When Sirius found out about Crouch, he’d demanded that Regulus come and spend time with the Gryffindors and Regulus was so incredibly alone, that he had agreed to do it. The first few meetings were fairly awkward, and he barely spoke, much to the annoyance of Mary MacDonald who was very un-subtly obsessed with the boy. Eventually things got easier and more natural and Regulus was able to add to conversations and enjoy spending time with his brother and his friends. Regulus was a good observer and he learned a lot about the group as he spent time with them.

Remus, though awkward and clumsy, was surprisingly confident and wickedly intelligent. He was always wearing long-sleeved cardigans and jumpers and always sat with Sirius, he was also the only person Sirius actually listened to. Peter, at first glance seemed to have only one personality trait: following James around as though he were a god. However, Regulus quickly found out that Peter was hilarious, always cracking jokes, always making sure his friends were smiling. Lily Evans, muggle-born, was one of the nicest people Regulus had ever met. She had a great sense of humour and although she pretended to hate the boy’s pranks and jokes, it was obvious she secretly found them very funny. Marlene McKinnon, she would talk to Regulus for hours on end about Quidditch. She was an incredibly talented player, but she was also an incredible friend to everyone in the group. She was always the first to give Regulus a hug when he arrived, she always braided Sirius’s hair for him, she would patch up Remus’s sweaters, fix James’s glasses if Peter sat on them, help Mary pick date outfits and listen to Lily talk about prefect duties for hours. Mary MacDonald, a very flirty, beautiful girl. Regulus was quite surprised to find out just how much she, in her words, “fancied the pants off of him” when she was forced to admit it during a game of truth or dare. Aside from that fact, Mary was just as caring as the others, fearsomely loyal and protective of Lily and Marlene. James was a different story, Regulus knew him fairly well now, but he still learned new things about him every day. He learned that James was unbelievably and slightly irritatingly confident, he strutted about as though he owned the place, but he was incredibly protective of all of his friends. He did not think of himself as better than anyone else, he just liked who he was, and Regulus couldn’t help but admire that. Sirius was quickly becoming Regulus’s idol again, the way he had been when they were children. Regulus had spent so long away from Sirius that he’d forgotten just how much he loved him. Sirius so obviously loved all of his friends, he was completely devoted to them and showed them this constantly, once to Lily’s slight annoyance when he’d snuck up behind her to hug her and she’d instinctively jinxed him into a block of ice. Regulus liked how Sirius would pester Remus whenever he tried to sit quietly and read, he also liked how Remus would almost always give in immediately and devote his time to Sirius instead. Sirius was so at home in Gryffindor and at Hogwarts he was just incredible, and Regulus wanted to be like him.

“Ready to lose, Reggie?” Sirius knocked his broom against Regulus’s back.

“Not a chance!” Regulus hit Sirius back, harder, laughing as he did it.

It was Gryffindor v Slytherin. The first time the teams were facing each other that year. It was tense. Any match between the two opposing houses was always intense and the hospital wing usually prepared in advance for an onslaught of ‘accidental’ injuries. From the tunnel, where the two teams were lined up waiting to enter the pitch, the players could hear the roar of the crowd. As the teams began to move forward and the players emerged into the light, Regulus looked around. The sky was grey, and the wind was whipping up a storm. It was perfect. Quidditch in the wind was much more interesting and a lot more difficult, Regulus loved it. As he took his position, swinging his leg over his broom, the Slytherin crowd cheered loudly. That was another bonus to quidditch, during the game he was not ‘Regulus Blood-Traitor Black’ he was ‘Regulus Slytherin-Quidditch-Hero Black’ and he much preferred being the latter.

Regulus took a deep breath and focused. He looked across at James who was focusing intently on the centre of the pitch, waiting for the whistle. Regulus hadn’t noticed before how James’s eyebrow twitched when he focused too hard, or how he tapped rhythmically on his broom handle as he waited. Regulus glanced toward the centre in time to see the Quaffle being thrown into the air, signalling the start.

Regulus whipped past the two Gryffindor beaters, in pursuit of the Snitch. It was bitterly cold, and the sharp wind stabbed into his face. He spotted the golden glint of the Snitch in the sky above him. Pulling up sharply on his broom, Regulus headed for the clouds. One thing regulus had always commended himself for was his focus while playing quidditch. Once the game began, he could tune out everything, his thoughts, the crowd, the commentator and anything that wasn’t vital for winning the game. He was so focused he barely noticed James Potter tailing him, eyes locked on the Snitch. James soared past Regulus and extended his arm out to catch the Snitch, but it quickly shot out of reach and flitted back towards the ground.

“Alright Reg?” James shouted over the howl of the wind. “Long time no see!” Regulus rolled his eyes and was about to respond when James disappeared through the clouds below them. Regulus cursed himself for allowing the tactical distraction and pointed his own broom down. As he flew through the thick cloud the Quidditch pitch came into focus. The crowd were all on their feet, as was common in Gryffindor v Slytherin matches, chanting and cheering at an incredible volume. The players were all in action, elbows were flying, brooms were being yanked, balls were being directed at heads, it was beautiful chaos.

James was an excellent seeker, but Regulus was unbelievably fast on his broom and caught up to him easily. The two were neck and neck, still plummeting towards the earth, almost vertically. The crowd held their breath as they watched the two boys falling to the earth. In sync, only a few feet off the ground, the two pulled up on their brooms quickly, bringing them horizontal once more. They both had eyes locked on the Golden Snitch which hovered just above the ground. Regulus and James both reached for it at the same time, their fingers brushed together for a moment before a strong gust of wind caught their brooms. They were flung through the air, tumbling messily to the ground. It was a fairly common, minor crash in the game but the whole crowd were silent, waiting to see if the two seekers were injured.

James groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. He quickly moved over to Regulus and held a hand out to help him up. As Regulus went to take James hand, he hesitated. James gave him a questioning look which quickly turned to shock, as Regulus turned his hand over to reveal the Golden Snitch. The Slytherin stand burst into life again and the crowd chanted Regulus’s name repeatedly. Regulus smiled widely at James and before he could move to take the other boys hand the Slytherin team had pulled him to his feet and were hoisting him in the air. Even Sirius was smiling, despite the defeat, as Regulus was paraded around the pitch. Regulus was so happy; he had done something to prove he was still a member of Slytherin, and he hoped people would accept him again as a result. Regulus glanced over at James who was clapping at him, grinning as always. Regulus shot him a smile and went back to his adoring fans.

Later that evening, after much effort, Regulus had finally managed to sneak away from the Slytherin Party. He may have been the guest of honour, but he wasn’t interested in being paraded around much longer, so he headed to his favourite spot to be alone. He climbed the stairs to the Astronomy Tower slowly, taking his time, for once he didn’t feel like he was in a rush. When he reached the top, he was surprised to find James, alone, sitting with his feet over the ledge. He closed the door loudly, hoping not to startle James and send him over the edge. James looked up at Regulus and let out a breath, as though he had been wound up but was now able to relax.

“Well if it isn’t Quidditch royalty itself!” James exclaimed dramatically as Regulus took a seat next to him.

“What can I say? I am a legend” Regulus joked. James gave a short laugh and then stared out across the lake. It was dark and the moon wasn’t anywhere near full and emitted no glow, so James had charmed a small orb of light to float above them. Regulus watched James as he leaned against the bar in front of them, staring out, deep in thought. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and he breathed deeply.

“What’s wrong?” Regulus said very quietly. James turned to look at him and gazed at Regulus for a long time before speaking.

“I’m just so proud of you Reg, you’ve been through so much and you’re doing fucking amazing. I wish I was as strong as you.” James spoke softly. Regulus looked down at his hand, fiddling nervously with his sleeve. He wasn’t used to compliments but he also didn’t want to think about everything he’d been through. Only few people knew as much about him as James did, even Sirius didn’t know about the panic attacks.

“I’m not as strong as I pretend to be.” Regulus said sadly, not looking up.

“Yes, you are Reg” As he spoke James reached over and moved a piece of Regulus’s hair, tucking it gently behind his ear. Regulus looked at him with huge eyes. Regulus opened his mouth to speak but before any words could come out, James’s lips were pressed against his. His lips were warm, and he kissed him so softly that Regulus thought he might have dreamed it. Regulus instinctively pulled back, in a state of shock. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…” James began to say, flustered and panicked. He was cut off by Regulus’s hand on his cheek, pulling him closer. Their lips met again, this time with more pressure, more wanting. James laced his fingers through Regulus’s hair as he deepened the kiss, flicking his tongue against his lips. Regulus held James’s face tightly as though clinging to him for life. Regulus had never been kissed or kissed anyone like this before and it was perfect. It was better than catching the Golden Snitch and winning the match, it was better than everything else. When they eventually pulled away, both panting softly and looking at each other with a look that was a mixture of shock and amazement, neither of them spoke. Whilst he was looking at James, the orb of light was floating close to his head, illuminating his whole face. His hair was a mess as always, but all Regulus cared about was the look in his eyes. He couldn't name what it was, but when he looked into James's eyes now, their was something new there, something that wasn't there before. James slowly reached over and intertwined their fingers together, squeezing his hand gently. James smiled at him before turning back to look over the expanse of scenery before them. Regulus took in the sight of James for a moment longer before he turned to look out over Hogwarts. They sat that way, shoulders pressed together, hands clasped, until the sun came up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I love Regulus being a Quidditch icon. 
> 
> Thank you for all of your lovely comments it really does make me so happy that you've been enjoying this fic so far, please keep your input coming, it's so helpful!x


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